Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 157

In the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, the summoned cabinet members and senior officials from the six ministries, big and small, and nine ministers lined up on the right hand, Yangwuhou Xue Lian and other nobles stood on the left side of the line, Luo Yangxing stood alone at the bottom of the steps and in the middle; On the dragon chair, Li Erxi stood beside him.

Wen Tiren went out to play and said: "Qi Zou Shengshang, the former governor of Shandong Zhu Dadian and the governor of Henan Xuan Mo are in a hurry, saying that the drought in the two provinces is severe, and many prefectures and counties have been displaced, and the number is increasing day by day. The ministers discussed with the cabinet colleagues. I have ordered the household staff to allocate 20 taels of silver so that they can try to buy food to secure the people; however, the two provinces have a large population, and a little money may not help. In addition, as the drought continues, the local big grain households are all hoarding to avoid disasters. It is also difficult to buy food. The ministers think, whether to use water transportation to divert the people to relieve the victims? Please stop it!"

The drought in the two provinces is spreading. There are more and more refugees who have to flee because of crop failure. Fortunately, Lu Xiangsheng led the army to drive the thieves out of Henan. Will choose to follow blindly, so the team of thieves will definitely grow rapidly.

The strategy of the cabinet is to use the grain transported from the north to divert it in Shandong and relieve the victims on the spot.This method is feasible, but not too much.Cao grain is directly related to the stability of the Gyeonggi area. Every year, 400 million shi of grain is directly supplied to the capital and surrounding areas. If there are too many diversions in the middle, what will happen to the million people in the capital?
Although for more than a year, the grain production in Huangzhuang and the surrounding areas of the capital has been greatly improved under measures such as digging wells to fight drought, drying dung and manure fields, repairing canals and diverting water, but it has only played a supplementary role to grain. It simply cannot bear the burden of fully meeting the food needs of the population of the capital, and a large amount of grain is needed to solve the food problem.

Chongzhen has been preparing for this for two years. He knows that the current drought will spread and last for several years.

The fleet of the Zheng family has transported more than 20 shi of rice to the north, and the purchase of grain will continue continuously. Chongzhen has already taken out [-] taels of silver from the internal funds to pay Zheng Home purchases and shipping costs.Although it is much less than the actual expenditure of the Zheng family, this gesture must be made.

According to Zheng Zhifeng, the court does not need to give money to these grains, it can be donated by the Zheng family.But people are in business, so it is easy to get money, but you can't ask for it endlessly, it becomes blackmail.Protecting private property will be one of the major measures of future reform, and this evil example cannot be opened.

Chongzhen nodded and said: "Wen Qing has worked hard. I will allocate 30 taels of silver from the internal funds to buy grain from Jiangnan, Guangdong and other places to benefit the north; Cao grain can divert 50 shi this year. If there is too much, it will be a disaster." And Gyeonggi; in view of the increasing number of victims, I have ordered the Governor of Water Transport to build four large granaries along the canal. The officials of the corresponding prefectures and counties of the two provinces must organize the victims to move to the canal. It silted up the river, and used the water potential of the canal to build ditches, open up wasteland and open up fields, so as to resettle the victims."

Wen Tiren saluted and said: "Your Majesty's strategy is very good. After I go back, I will write a letter to the two provinces, urging them to implement it as soon as possible!"

Li Banghua, the censor of Zuodu, came out and said: "The sage, the minister thought that in order to prevent corruption in the disaster relief, the Inspectorate should send the censor to inspect the matter. Benefits, the censor can be severely punished according to the law!"

Chongzhen praised: "What Li Qing said is very true. Not only will the Inspectorate send censors to inspect, but I will also order factory guards to send people to inspect; natural disasters are inevitable, and man-made disasters need to be prevented! After retiring from the court, Li Qing chose to do it The officials set off immediately, and if anyone is corrupt and breaks the law, he can be executed on the spot at the fourth rank! The factory guards above the fourth rank will arrest him and bring him to Beijing!"

Li Banghua led the order to return to the train.Although the factory guards are unpleasant, they still have a great deterrent effect.The official censor lives in the open, while the factory guard patrols secretly, and the two can complement each other.

Chongzhen saw that Hou Xun seemed to have something to say, so he decisively wanted to transfer the topic to the Hall of Martyrs.Before he could speak, Hou Xun had already stepped out of the queue and said: "Qizou Shengshang, the old minister heard that Shi Xiantai returned to Beijing, this trip to the south of the Yangtze River should be fruitful, right?"

Chongzhen knew that this old man heard the wind and was about to reach out for money, so he said in desperation: "It is true that Shi Qing just returned. !"

Hou Xun retreated happily.Now as long as the stolen money is seized, Hou Xun will come to share the stolen money. In his opinion, the emperor is a big fat sheep.Chongzhen thought that he had to hand over a share of the money he just got, and he was reluctant to give it up, but he was also for the court, so it was really unreasonable not to give it.

Chongzhen went on to say: "Droughts are happening one after another in various provinces. The cabinet should plan ahead and formulate countermeasures as soon as possible; once a large number of victims appear, they should immediately adopt effective strategies to properly resettle them. You must not have any contempt. The disaster of the Shanshan bandits is still here. In front of you, it must not be reproduced!"

All the ministers saluted and said yes.The emperor's words are not alarmist. Now that the momentum of the thieves has just been curbed, if there is no way to find a way to resettle the new disaster victims, no one can guarantee whether there will be rebellions in Shandong and Henan.

Chongzhen continued: "I originally proposed to build the Heroes' Shrine, and all the ministers opposed it in unison. I also know what the ministers are thinking and worrying, so the delay has not been completed until now; but what I said has been widely circulated in the army. If I renege on my word and become fat, how will I win the trust of the world in the future? With all the ministers here today, let’s discuss the matter of the Hall of Valor, this matter cannot be delayed any longer!”

Wen Tiren went out to play and said: "The meaning of the Holy Majesty's construction of the shrine is to encourage the soldiers and the people to fight the enemy bravely, so that there will be no worries after the war. Now that Taicang is becoming more and more affluent, the Holy Majesty often allocates money from within to support the officers and soldiers, and the monthly salary is sufficient. , and at the same time, there are pensions, burning and burying Yongye. I think that under such a generous offer, the soldiers dare not rise up? Therefore, the fact that the temple is built is superfluous!"

The rest of the ministers were silent.They were too lazy to argue with Chongzhen anymore, they had made up their minds, no matter what the emperor said, they just firmly disagreed with the construction of the temple.We can tolerate the burning of buried silver and Yongyetian, and it doesn’t matter if you give them a bite to eat, but you actually plan to build a shrine for them, this is too much!
Chongzhen sighed: "Since the Han people established their own land, countless great men and women have thrown their heads and shed blood in order to defend their homes and defend the country from the barbarians; how many unknown heroes died in different places and their souls did not return to their homeland. It is these heroes who bathed in blood. Only by fighting can our Chinese people live and work in peace and contentment! The current situation in Ming Dynasty is even more evidence! Do you know that many orphans whose family members have died are serving in the army? They have no relatives in the world, and their souls after dying for the country Where does it go? Who will pull out the weeds on the grave? And who will offer sacrifices for the four seasons when he is in distress underground? Why don’t you put yourself in his shoes and think about it?”

In this era when everyone pays great attention to the affairs behind, Chongzhen's words are indeed impeccable in terms of reason.

Who wants no one to pay homage to after death?Passing on the family line is not only for the continuation of the blood, but more importantly, for someone to visit me on the grave after my death, so that I don't feel lonely in the ground.

Xue Lian, Marquis of Yangwu, came forward with emotion and said: "I feel the same as what the Holy Majesty said. On behalf of my fellow soldiers, I am deeply grateful to the Holy Majesty for caring about the soldiers! The officers, soldiers, and soldiers are united as one, to wipe out the scumbags for the Holy One, sweep away the ugliness, and set up outstanding honors!"

Wei Shichun went out to play and said: "The sage takes care of all kinds of opportunities every day, and he still thinks about the worries of the soldiers. All the ministers are deeply grateful for the holy grace! The news of the temple building has been widely spread in the army, and the officers and soldiers are very pleased to hear about it. Now This is an imperative move! Otherwise, the soldiers will be easily discouraged! The words of Marquis Yangwu are also what the minister thinks, and please ask the emperor to give you an order to start building!"

Since the two admirals have supervised the Beijing camp, they have achieved good results in rectifying military discipline and improving the combat effectiveness of soldiers due to the lack of civil servants.

The establishment of the shrine to hold a memorial ceremony was unanimously supported by the Beijing Camp and the Yongwei Camp.This is a great honor, the emperor has not forgotten their group of fighters.The monthly salary is paid in full, there is a huge subsidy for the disabled who died in battle, and the Holy Majesty wants to marry a wife and start a family for the bachelor. With all these measures, only a deadly battle can repay the kindness of the Holy Majesty.

Although Yang Sichang was opposed to the construction of the temple, he saw that Chongzhen had always insisted on his own opinion, while the courtiers were determined not to make concessions. At this critical moment, someone must stand up and make peace.

So he went out and said: "Although what the Holy Majesty said is true, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there are not a few court officials and literati who have dedicated their lives to it. Now that the Holy Majesty wants to build a temple for the soldiers alone, I am afraid that the literati all over the world will be angry. , This is not the blessing of the community! I think that if you want to succeed, you have to find another way!"

Not only Wang Chengen pointed out the key here, Yang Sichang also saw it clearly.This matter must satisfy both civil and military personnel, and the generals cannot be favored.

Wen Tiren saw that Yang Sichang came out to grab the limelight many times, and this time his words were more biased towards the emperor, so he couldn't help but become more vigilant towards Yang Sichang in his heart.

Chongzhen glanced at Yang Sichang appreciatively, and asked, "Then according to Yang Qing's intention, how should this matter be?"

Yang Sichang said: "According to my opinion, the soldiers who died for the country should set up a cemetery on the site of the war, and the government can hire someone to take care of the daily cleaning and offering sacrifices! As for building a shrine in the capital, there is no need for it!"

Yang Sichang's proposal is basically the same as that of the martyrs' cemeteries in various places in later generations, but it is also a precedent in history. It has to be said that Yang Sichang is indeed a talent.

Although the courtiers were still reluctant to Yang Sichang's suggestion, compared with Chongzhen's idea of ​​building a temple in the capital and requiring officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War to offer sacrifices at four o'clock, this was still acceptable, so no one came out this time. column objected.

You only need to choose a piece of wasteland to enclose in the place of war, hire people to watch it on weekdays, and don't need officials to sacrifice and sweep it. This method can be justified.

Chongzhen took advantage of the situation and said: "Yang Qing's words are quite in line with my wishes, this method is feasible! But the construction of the temple in the capital must also be carried out!"

The courtiers suddenly became dissatisfied, we have already made a step, what else do you want?
Liu Yuliang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, came out and said: "I think that the advice of this soldier is already excellent. If the Holy Majesty does something out of the ordinary again, I am afraid that I will not agree with it!"

Xue Lian and other nobles all glared at Liu Yuliang. This old guy dared to openly contradict the Holy Majesty because of his seniority. Should he send someone over the wall into his house at night to scare him?
Luo Yangxing, who had been silent all this time, was thinking secretly, and was going to send someone to collect the crimes of the Liu family. As long as the evidence of the crime was sufficient, he would be directly arrested and sent to prison, so that he could try Jinyiwei's methods.

Chongzhen waved his hand and said: "Liu Qing, please be safe and don't be impatient! Apart from the law of the soldiers, I intend to invite all the loyal souls who died for the country to pay homage in the Hall of Martyrs, regardless of civil or military! From now on, anyone who has made outstanding contributions to Daming and the people of Li Civil and military, please enter the temple to enjoy the imperial sacrifices after death! And the imperial court will match him with a posthumous title!"

As soon as this remark came out, the entire Qianqing Palace fell silent, everyone except Chongzhen was thinking about the meaning of the second half of the emperor's words, and Chongzhen leisurely picked up the tea and started to taste it.

Small samples!Now, do you still object?
It's okay to say that civil and military sacrifices are shared, it can only make you feel that I am still fair, but you have to sacrifice your life for the country to be eligible.

But the shocking power of the latter sentence to everyone can be described as incomparably huge.

As long as you have made outstanding contributions to Daming, to the world, and to the common people, you can enter the shrine to enjoy sacrifices even if you die of old age and sickness!There will be a posthumous title!

Although there has been a saying of being entitled to the Taimiao in all dynasties, this kind of treatment was rare in the Ming Dynasty for more than two hundred years. Everyone in the palace asked themselves that they were not eligible to enter the Taimiao.

But the Hall of Martyrs gave everyone a chance. Although the specification level of the Taimiao is lower than that of the Taimiao, it is also the supreme glory of the imperial court. As long as you make some political achievements that others cannot do, you may be able to enter the temple and enjoy it. Festival!
Besides, if both civil and military people can enter the temple, you can declare to the outside world that the emperor originally only wanted the army to enter the temple, but after his own hard work and struggle, he finally forced the emperor to agree that scholars can also enter the temple to enjoy sacrifices, so that the literati will also enter the temple. Earn a good name.

"I agree with the words of the Holy Majesty, and there is no delay in building the Hall of Martyrs!" A loud voice broke the silence in the hall.

　I used to think that after death, there is nothing left.But once when I went to visit my father's grave, looking at the green smoke in the incense burner, I couldn't help thinking, is my father lonely underground?Do you also expect me to visit him from time to time?Since then, I have completely changed my original thinking. I think that after I die, I will also look forward to my son coming to the grave to visit me from time to time.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)